Random thoughts and Poodles

New Reality, New Look

Well, here we are. Still in quarantine. Still bored out of our minds. So, what’s a bored person to do?

My choice: Give my website/blog a new look! Thank you WordPress for making it so easy to choose new templates and customize them.

I would love your comments on the new look. I’m still fussing at it, so no worries. There is plenty of time to make changes.

_________

News from the southern front

We went to Costco yesterday. Yikes! $11,000 MX (that’s about $500 US). Not sure what we bought, but there are still things I managed to forget. This was the first time I’ve been farther than a walk around the block in almost two months. It was very strange.

I’m not sure what it is like where you are, but here, just getting in the door is a process. Greeting you at the door is a gang of people ensuring that you have been sanitized and know the new rules of shopping. I’m not sure that they are limiting the number of people entering, but the store certainly wasn’t crowded.

In the store, masks are required. I brought my own Clorox wipes for the cart and hand sanitizer, although they insist on you using theirs when you first enter. This is a good policy, I suppose, but they really should consider having sanitizer stations around the store. After all, the customers tend to touch things they don’t buy and then set them back on the shelf. I would feel better knowing I could sanitize my hands every few meters just to be sure…. Hence, that is why I brought my own supply.

What was different

The store looked basically the same, although there were definitely changes. A lot of the aisles were blocked off so you couldn’t buy those items. Mostly things like clothing, some household items (we were interested in an electric toothbrush, but this was one of the prohibited items), and some small electronics. Not sure how they decided what was off-limits.

We were able to get the usual things — people food, pet food, pharmaceutical stuff, etc.

We bought Sophie a new bed. She’s getting on in years and needed a little more support for her aging bones and joints. I almost got one for me (they did look comfy), as our mattress doesn’t agree with my aging joints! Oh well. Someday I’ll get one of those fancy ones that conform to your body. Not today!

My beautiful Sophie!

I did splurge a bit on some skin care items. I have been unable to get my Rodan and Fields products here, and since I won’t be to the US for at least a few months, it was time to bite the bullet and get something else. I ended up being Neutrogena Hydroboost. So far, so good. I like the way it feels and it really hydrates!

At check out, they have circles on the floor where you stand and wait your turn. I took me a while to understand the service agent directing traffic, but apparently you can only have one person in line, so Lyn had to go wait at the other side of the registers.

Also at check out, they have erected plastic barriers to protect the cashiers. Seems like a good idea. Also, they won’t accept your bags for packing the materials; they just load everything into the cart directly. We ended up loading our purchases into bags at the car.

Leaving the store was much the same — wait in line until someone checks your receipt against the items in the cart. I never really understood this, but hey, if it works for them, so be it.

Traffic is very light these days, so getting home was a snap. The best part of this lockdown, though, is not having to worry about parking. As you saw in earlier posts, our street is largely empty these days. I believe it is due mostly to the school being closed. Works for me! We can park right in front of our door so we don’t have to lug everything down the street!

Still waiting

I ordered an inflatable pool a few weeks ago, but it hasn’t arrived yet. This is the one item I am anxiously awaiting as it most resembles having a bathtub. Not that I will be bathing in it! I just want to submerge my body in water. I find it very relaxing, and it will give me something else to do during the day. I might even get a tan!

The temps here are high. A lot of days it gets to 90-F or more. Our courtyard is stone and gets very hot. Having a small something to dip my body in would give me so much pleasure!

The pool I ordered.

It’s not that big — about 6-foot in diameter by 2.5 feet deep, but it looks like it will do the trick. So far it has been two weeks that I’ve been waiting. I know deliveries are a bit slower than they have been. It would be nice, however, if they would say when I can expect it!

It’s too easy

Shopping is one way to entertain ourselves, but it is too easy! We’ve probably bought a few things we didn’t need (like a pool), but it does pass the time. I’m a little more reluctant to actually buy things online. Lyn, however, enjoys it, perhaps a bit too much! Ah, but he always buys me something, so I can’t/won’t complain. Recently he purchased me a tabletop fan that I keep next to the bed. It was really to help while teaching, but I’ve since moved my “desk” to another room where I have a bigger air cooler/fan that helps more.

I do like the fan, though. It has a “sleep” setting that is really nice. Very quiet with small bursts of air, like a breeze.

The other day I was looking for some PJs, but I’m just not sure about ordering anything right now. The delayed delivery drives me nuts.